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Gary Neville has called on Arne Slot to bench Milos Kerkez and Conor Bradley, arguing that Liverpool's current slump won't be reversed if he continues to rely on both full-backs.
The Reds suffered a 3-2 loss at Brentford on Saturday, marking their fourth consecutive Premier League defeat. Following Arsenal's victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday, the reigning champion now finds itself seven points behind the league leader.
Meanwhile, wins for AFC Bournemouth, Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland and Manchester United saw Liverpool slip to seventh in the table. A Champions League victory over Eintracht Frankfurt was a brief reprieve, but the Reds are on a dire run.
Liverpool was leading the Premier League table going into October, having triumphed in its first five matches. However, it hasn't been performing at its best throughout the season.
The Reds have now lost five of their last six matches across all competitions and continue to struggle defensively. They've conceded a staggering 21 goals from their 14 games this season, with their loss to Brentford marking the eighth time they've let in two or more goals.
Several of Slot's players have faced criticism, while most of the Reds' summer signings are yet to hit form following a $600M transfer splurge.
Milos Kerkez, in particular, has had a tough time since his $54 million (£40 million) transfer from Bournemouth, while players like Ibrahima Konate have also come under scrutiny, with the Frenchman now in the final 12 months of his contract.
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has advised new Liverpool boss Arne Slot to consider making changes in the full-back positions.
"Early on in the season, I felt their full-backs weren't right, maybe Ibrahima Konate at times wasn't right," he shared on the Gary Neville Podcast.
"Virgil van Dijk was holding them together and Alisson was in goal. You've got two world-class performers there in Van Dijk and Alisson, but the virus is catching. It's not just going now into the left-back.
"The left-back is becoming a worry. Kerkez scored last night but watching him, he has to be taken out I think.
"I'm worried about the right-back. [Jeremie] Frimpong isn't a right-back. Conor Bradley has been given his head and I'm supportive of that because I think there's a lot of talent there, but it's difficult when your team are conceding goals and the pressure is on.
"If he carries on playing Kerkez at left-back and he carries on playing Bradley at right-back, and they carry on being as exposed as they are in midfield, you'll keep getting the same results.
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"Every single game you'll be flipping a coin and thinking, 'Are we gonna win or are we gonna lose?', and that can't be what Liverpool are about with the way they've performed in these last 12 months.
"I like the manager a lot, I like his way of working, I like his manner in press conferences, it doesn't look like there's any panic there from him. But deep down, it looks like he's going to have to interfere with this.
"It's a pattern of what they have become in this first two months of the season. He cannot keep allowing the same things to happen each week.
"One thing you can guarantee with Mohamed Salah, Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo, and the others they've got, is that they'll score goals.
"So the seven plus the goalkeeper are responsible for making sure they're solid and they're not open or exposed all the time. It sounds quite defensive and it sounds like going back to base camp and starting from scratch, but sometimes you have to do that.
"When everything's crazy, chaotic and mad, which it is for Liverpool at the moment, you just have to find a strong foundation and that means putting players in there that can keep a narrow back four, prevent spaces, win you duels, make sure you don't give away easy goals, play it forward quicker than you have been and stop popping it through midfield.
"They must narrow that back four and be a bit more safe in the way they play. Don't open up as much, don't go forward as much, but allow that front three to win you games.
"Just be a little bit more direct, knowing that front three will win you games. That happened at United a lot and I just wonder whether it's a time now for Arne Slot to simplify and pull it back. It's not just a blip any more, it's becoming a concern. They can't be seven or eight points behind Arsenal."
Liverpool.com says: It's fine to say Bradley needs to be taken out, but who comes in? Dominik Szoboszlai should be in midfield and Frimpong is injured. Likewise, at left-back, Andy Robertson might be a better option right now, but the reason Liverpool bought Kerkez is that an upgrade was required.
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